2014

September 19, 2014

NAIA Athletic Directors Association (ADA) President, Kevin Steele announced today the formation of the associations first ever Board of Directors. The ADA Board of Directors includes one representative from each NAIA conference including the Association of Independent Institutions (AII). The Board of Directors along with ADA Officers; Kevin Steele (President), Angie Fincannon (Vice President), Darin Wilson (Secretary), and Jeff Bain (Past President) will be tasked with promoting the ADA within conferences, working to provide professional development opportunities and mentoring for ADA members, and recognizing outstanding achievements by Athletic Directors within the NAIA.

One of the ADA members selected to the Board of Directors is LSUS' own Athletic Director, Coach Chad McDowell. "We are excited to see Coach McDowell receive such an honorable position within the NAIA," said LSUS Chancellor Larry Clark. "We know how valuable his hard work and expertise is here at LSUS, and it is great to see that the NAIA took notice and recognized what a great asset he can be for them in this role."

"The creation of the Board of Directors is the result of several months of intensive work done by the ADA Officers and an ad-hoc advisory committee (composed of Jim Abbott of Oklahoma City University, Bob Wilson of Vanguard University, Matt Sayre of Southern Oregon University, and Bruce Parker of Rocky Mountain College), to reshape the direction and purpose of the NAIA ADA," commented Steele. "We are moving toward an organization that really serves, promotes, and educates NAIA Athletic Directors and the creation of this board is an obvious step in this effort. The professionals that make up this board are an incredibly talented group and our ability to work collaboratively will prove beneficial to all of our members and the NAIA as a whole. At the end of the day, Athletic Directors are the practitioners that make athletic departments run. We are committed to making sure that our AD's are prepared, Informed, and involved in the decisions that affect the way we do business in the NAIA."

"We are extremely fortunate to have so many dedicated and talented AD's in the NAIA," said Jim Carr, NAIA President and CEO. "An active ADA Board of Directors will provide the organization with an incredible resource as we continue to innovate and think creatively about the ways in which we can serve our student-athletes."